it's authors join us next. this is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> the justice department will not charge paula broadwell with cyber stalking. justice officials formally notified her attorneys today. broadwell is the woman at the center of the scandal that forced general david petraeus out at the cia. she wrote a biography on petraeus, but last month he stepped down after revealing he had an extramarital affair with her. we'll be right back. >>> we're back. the first presidential debate will go down in history books for president obama's disastrous performance. this week new details are emerging about the strategy and the decision making that led up to it and followed his poor performance in denver. that and other behind-the-scenes details are revealed in politico's new ebook called "the end of the line." the co-authors are here with the inside scoop on the final weeks of the 2012 campaign. we, gentlemen. first of all, all i care about learning tonight, and i'm fascinated with it, is how could the presi